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The BBC announced on Friday that Gary Lineker would be stepping back from presenting the iconic British football show “Match of the Day”.
Lineker tweeted “Good Heavens, this is beyond awful” on Tuesday in reference to a video posted on Twitter by the British Home Office announcing the government’s asylum-seeker policy.
He then continued to write: “There is no huge influx. We take in very few refugees compared to other major European countries. This is an extremely cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable in language similar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. Doesn’t differ from the known language, and I’m out of order?
A BBC statement said the decision to withdraw Lineker was taken after “extensive discussions” with the former England international and his team.
“We have stated that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines,” the statement said.
“The BBC has decided that it will withdraw from presenting Match of the Day until we have achieved an agreed and clear position on the use of social media.
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone, or that he cannot weigh in on issues that matter to him. matters, but we have said that he should refrain from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
Lineker’s team declined to comment on the BBC statement when contacted by CNN.
After a series of statements of support for Lineker, there will be no presenters or pundits appearing on this Saturday’s Match of the Day show.
Former football players Alan Shearer and Ian Wright both announced on Twitter that they had told the BBC they would not be appearing on the show.
“I have informed the BBC that I will not be attending the MotD tomorrow night,” Shearer wrote on Twitter.
“Everyone knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity,” Wright tweeted.
“Some of our pundits have said they do not want to be on the program while we resolve the situation with Gary. Will focus on the action taken,” a BBC spokesman said on Friday evening.
Dan Walker, a former presenter of BBC Breakfast and Football Focus, also tweeted: “I used to sit in for Gary Lineker on MOTD… not sure I’ll like it this weekend. What a mess!”
Later on Friday, BBC commentators Steve Wilson, Conor McNamara, Robin Cowen and Steven Wyeth also announced their decision to withdraw from this week’s show in a joint statement.
“As commentators on MOTD, we have made the decision to withdraw from last night’s broadcast,” the statement said.
“We are comforted that football fans who wish to watch their teams should still be able to do so, as management can access World Feed commentary if they wish. However, in these circumstances, we cannot Seems like it would be appropriate to participate in the program.”
Meanwhile, the BECTU union, which represents BBC employees, expressed concern over the BBC’s decision on Friday.
“This is a deeply worrying decision by the BBC. This would give the impression that they have bowed to political pressure from ministers to take someone off the air if they disagreed with the policies of the current government,” Philip Childs, head of BECTU, said in a statement.
“Given the ongoing controversy over the appointment of the BBC chairman, who has an enormous role in maintaining the BBC’s reputation, and who has not backed down during the investigation, it also risks the impression of double standards in . issues.”